Coronation Street: Claire Sweeney shares spooky coincidence with Brookside soap role

Claire Sweeney says that her agent ‘swore her to secrecy’ after receiving the news that she had earned a role in Coronation Street.

The actor, who played Lindsey Corkhill in Brookside, is soon to be seen in the role of Cassandra Plummer, daughter of sharp-tongued Evelyn Plummer (Maureen Lipman) and the birth mother of Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall).

Speaking at a recent press event about her casting, Sweeney reveals: “So, here's the thing. When I got the part on Brookside, it was my birthday, 17th of April. When I got the part of Cassie, it was my birthday, 17th of April.

"I was in Majorca with my family and my agent swore me to secrecy, [they] said, ‘you're not allowed to tell anyone’. So, I had my mates phoning me up to wish me happy birthday and I knew I'd got a part in Corrie.

“And even my mate Tony said to me, he knew I’d auditioned, he said: 'Wouldn't it be lovely if you’d have got it on your birthday?’ And I'm like 'I can't say anything!" And so, I wasn't allowed to say anything, but I got two parts in soap operas on my birthday, which was the best present ever.”

It’s an exciting time for the star, who couldn’t be more thrilled to be working on the longest-running ITV soap. “I always thought if I was to do another soap opera, Corrie would be the dream one for me. I've grown up watching it.

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“I remember as a kid sitting down and being obsessed with Pat Phoenix initially, then Bet Lynch and I remember one scene with Bet Lynch, where she was crying in the back room of the Rovers. She'd broken up with a boyfriend or something awful had happened to her. And then she stood up and she had to get a game face on to walk into the Rovers. And just the change as she walked through.

"It stayed with me, that, as a kid, just to watch her grow in stature and get the brave face," she explains. "That same way she said, 'This isn't a smile. It's a lid on a scream'. It's just been iconic and part of my childhood and all these wonderful women in the show over the years and the comedy, and so Corrie is a dream role.

“I just want to say about Iain [MacLeod, executive producer] as well, I've spent the last few years, I've done a little bit on Benidorm, Scarborough, a drama I filmed last year. Not massive parts, but wanting to get back and do some really great acting. I never dreamed Corrie would be the thing. Iain has given me a chance and it just takes that one person to believe in you and go 'Yeah, you can do it. Give her a chance.' And I'm so grateful for that.”

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Viewers will recall that when Tyrone first met grandmother Evelyn, she told him that Cassie was dead. Now Sweeney teases what we can expect from her introduction. “Well, Evelyn's been living a lie, hasn't she?” says the actor.

“She has not told the truth to Tyrone and suddenly the truth is in front of her, being Cassie. So first of all, he finds out his mother is alive, he's got a mother, his grandma's been lying to him. And it's a whole scenario that's gonna unfold before our eyes.”

Sweeney’s character is an addict who has a turbulent start on the cobbles, ending up in the hospital after overdosing on heroin. While recovering, Cassie insists that she wants to meet her son.

Asked to describe Cassie, Sweeney hints that she has the kind of layers that Coronation Street is known for exploring. “I love Cassie and I hope the audience love her as well, as much as I do. She's vulnerable, she's troubled. She's got problems, she's got major problems.

“And as I'm reading the scripts, I kind of want her to sort herself out, because we all love Tyrone – it's hard too because I'm a fan as well and as a fan, we all love Tyrone, and you don't want anything to upset him do you? So, I'm reading the scripts and I'm thinking ‘Please sort yourself out Cassie, sort yourself out'. She’s troubled. She's feisty. She's gonna cause some trouble on the cobbles. She's a loose cannon, but then she's vulnerable as well.”

It soon becomes clear that, during Evelyn’s last absence from Weatherfield, she was actually with her daughter, trying to help her stay clean from drugs. And for her first ever scene as Cassie, Sweeney had a lot of dialogue to learn.

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“Poor Cassie, she gets clean and then falls back into her old ways again. And what was wonderful for me, and it was my audition scene as well, I know Maureen spoke about this. My first scene speaking, filming for Corrie was a 14-page two-hander with Dame Maureen Lipman, who I'm a massive fan of, so you can imagine.

It's clear that she's in awe of her co-star. “A normal scene is three, four pages and this is a 14-page two-hander," she explains. "And I thought 'well, that's a baptism of fire!' And working with Maureen, she was just like a master class, she was so fantastic. And I'm just looking forward to doing more stuff with her and with Alan. When I did my screen test with Alan, what a wonderful actor he is, as well. So, I'm surrounded by great people.”

Sweeney promises that, amongst the more grittier scenes, Cassie will bring some comedy too. “She's gonna cause havoc. She is a live wire. She's also, I'll be honest with you, I've also been reading some future scripts; not only is there great drama, I mean, the writers are just fantastic. My first big scene written by Ian Kershaw was just wonderful. The writing is fantastic, but I'm starting to read scripts now, and she's quite funny as well. And I was like, 'oh my god, this is fantastic.'

“Now, not only have you got great dramatic storylines, you've also got that wonderful Corrie humour, which we love,” adds the star. “This is why we love Corrie. We love to see Corrie, we love to laugh. And then one minute you laugh and one minute you're crying, and that is the wonderful thing about Corrie.”

Watch the latest Coronation Street spoilers

This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/coronation-street-claire-sweeney-secrecy-dream-role-tyrone-mum-230114280.html